Florida Supreme Court Will Get Chance To Rule On Orlando's Loan Case

Orlando's battle to borrow up to a half-billion dollars just in case it needs a bunch of money is shifting from Orange County to the Florida Supreme Court.

The Orange-Osceola state attorney's office, which fought the proposal and lost in an Orange court, will send a written appeal to the state's highest court by early May. The lawyer for an Orlando citrus grower opposed to the deal has promised to do the same.

The state Supreme Court could take months to rule.

Assistant State Attorney Carol Reiss said she likely will repeat the arguments that Orange Circuit Judge Joe Baker heard last June and dismissed almost a half-year later.

Reiss has said the city should be stopped from borrowing the $500 million because it has not published a list of projects the money would be used for or identified how the loan would be repaid.

''They (the city) are telling us we will have to take their word for this. The history of taking government's word for things is not real good,'' Pugh said.

City finance director Michael ''Mickey'' Miller said opponents of his proposal do not understand what Orlando is trying to do. The city, he said, wants to save time and money by getting authorization to borrow the half-billion dollars before it is needed.

''That's got to be good for the taxpayers of this jurisdiction,'' Miller said. ''That's just good business for Orlando.''

The money, Miller said, could be used many ways, including construction of parking garages or the new City Hall complex. Any spending would have to be approved by Orlando City Council.

Baker, who doubts the city's proposal, said in a 12-page memo that the courts have no reason to stop Orlando.

''The possibility of misuse of power cannot be a legal bar . . . or no government could have any power,'' Baker wrote.

Baker found the complexity of the city plan troubling because, he wrote, it ''makes one wonder whether it might be beyond one or more individual city councilpersons, and municipal purpose might become something demonstrated by using mirrors.''

Governments generally borrow money by selling bonds to investors, who get their loans back plus interest over time. Governments most often use bond money to build jails, schools, roads and other expensive undertakings.

Orlando has been involved with other multimillion-dollar bond issues but has never tackled one this large on its own.